A new lead fills in your website form at 4:47 pm. By the time someone gets back to them the next morning, they have already spoken to two of your competitors. Speed is the whole game with enquiries, and the channel that gets read fastest is the text message.
This guide shows how to set up GoHighLevel SMS lead follow-up using the DataFlows SMS app for HighLevel. You will see how to text a lead the moment a form is submitted, build a short nurture sequence, send deal stage notifications, personalise every message, and handle replies inside HighLevel.
Everything here uses features that exist today in the DataFlows integration for GoHighLevel. There is no coding involved, and the connection uses OAuth, so you never have to copy an API token.
What Is GoHighLevel SMS Lead Follow-Up?
GoHighLevel SMS lead follow-up is the practice of sending automated text messages to new and existing leads from inside a HighLevel workflow, triggered by something the lead does, such as submitting a form, being created as a contact, or moving to a new deal stage. Instead of relying on someone remembering to call or email, the workflow sends a timely, personalised SMS straight away and can continue with further messages over the following days. Replies from the lead come back into the same HighLevel account and are tracked against that contact, so your team sees the whole conversation in one place. With the DataFlows SMS app installed from the GoHighLevel Marketplace, these text steps appear as actions inside your workflows, and the messages are delivered through your DataFlows account using a branded Sender ID if you have one.
Why It Matters for Australian Businesses
Australian customers read their texts. Most people carry their phone everywhere, and an SMS lands on the lock screen without needing an app, a login or a data connection. For a service business that wins work on responsiveness, such as a trade, a clinic, a real estate agency or a consultancy, that matters.
There is also a practical gap in most small businesses. Leads arrive after hours, during jobs and in the middle of meetings. A workflow that replies instantly acknowledges the enquiry, sets expectations and keeps the lead warm until a person can take over.
Compliance matters just as much. Marketing texts in Australia must follow the Spam Act, which means consent, clear sender identification and a working opt-out. If you are new to the rules, read our Spam Act SMS marketing guide and our guide to SMS consent and opt-in in Australia before you switch on any sequence.
Key Benefits of SMS Lead Follow-Up in GoHighLevel
- Instant response. A form submission can trigger a text within moments, so the lead hears from you while they are still thinking about the problem.
- No extra tools to juggle. SMS steps sit inside your existing HighLevel workflows, next to the other actions you already use.
- Personal at scale. Custom values such as {{contact.first_name}} and {{contact.business_name}} let every message read as if it was written for that person.
- Two-way by default. Replies come back into the HighLevel account and are tracked per contact, so nothing is lost in a separate inbox.
- Branded sender. Messages can show your business name instead of a random number. See our guide to registering a branded Sender ID.
- Simple, predictable cost. DataFlows is pay-as-you-go with no monthly or annual fees. You buy SMS credits and top up when you need more.
Step-by-Step: Building Your Lead Follow-Up Workflows
Step 1: Install and connect DataFlows SMS
Open the GoHighLevel Marketplace, find the DataFlows SMS app and install it. You then connect your DataFlows account using OAuth. There is nothing to code and no token to paste. You do need an active DataFlows account, so if you do not have one yet, sign up at dataflows.com.au first.
Once connected, DataFlows SMS actions appear in the workflow builder. For a deeper look at the setup, see our GoHighLevel SMS integration guide or the integration page.
Step 2: Send an instant form-submission follow-up
Create a new workflow and choose Form Submitted as the trigger. Select the form you want to watch, for example your quote request or contact form. Then add the DataFlows SMS action as the first step.
Keep the first message short and useful. It should confirm you received the enquiry, say who is replying and tell the lead what happens next. For example:
`Hi {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for your enquiry with {{contact.business_name}}. We've received your details and will be in touch shortly. Reply to this message if you have any questions.`
Avoid asking for too much in the first text. One clear next step beats three options.
Step 3: Add a nurture sequence
Not every lead is ready to book on day one. A nurture sequence gives them a few well-timed touchpoints without anyone having to remember. A simple version looks like this:
- Immediately: the acknowledgement text from Step 2.
- Day 1: a helpful follow-up, such as a link to your booking page or a short answer to a common question.
- Day 3: a gentle check-in asking whether they would like to go ahead or need more information.
- Day 7: a final, low-pressure message that makes it easy to reply or opt out.
Use wait steps between each message, and add a condition so the sequence stops when the lead replies, books or is marked as won. Nobody enjoys receiving a reminder for something they have already done.
Step 4: Send deal stage notifications
Workflows can also be triggered when a deal moves to a new stage. This is useful for keeping both leads and your own team informed. Examples include:
- Proposal sent: text the lead to let them know the proposal is in their inbox and offer to talk it through.
- Awaiting decision: a polite nudge a few days after the proposal goes out.
- Won: a thank-you message with the next steps, such as onboarding or scheduling the first job.
- Internal alerts: a text to a team member when a high-value deal changes stage.
If your pipeline involves bookings, pair this with our GoHighLevel appointment reminder workflow so the lead is also reminded once a time is locked in.
Step 5: Personalise with custom values
The DataFlows SMS action supports HighLevel custom values in message templates. At minimum, use the contact's first name and your business name. Where you collect extra details on the form, such as the service they asked about, you can include those custom fields as well.
Test each template with a real contact record before you publish the workflow. A message that starts with a blank name looks worse than no personalisation at all.
Step 6: Handle replies inside HighLevel
When a lead replies, the message comes back into your HighLevel account and is tracked against their contact. Your team can answer from the conversation view and see the earlier messages in context.
Decide in advance who owns replies and how quickly they should respond. A fast automated first message sets an expectation, and a slow human reply afterwards undoes the good work.
How DataFlows Helps
DataFlows is an Australian SMS platform. For GoHighLevel users, the DataFlows SMS app adds reliable SMS delivery directly to your workflows and conversations.
- Workflow actions. Trigger an SMS from any workflow step, including contact created, form submitted, appointment booked and deal stage changed.
- Two-way conversations. Replies are tracked per contact in HighLevel.
- Branded Sender ID. Send from your business name using an alphanumeric Sender ID registered with ACMA through DataFlows.
- Bulk campaigns. Send broadcasts to a full contact list or a targeted segment, for promotions, announcements, reminders and re-engagement.
- Custom field personalisation. Use HighLevel custom values in your templates.
Because the app connects with OAuth, setup takes minutes rather than days. There are no monthly fees to pay for the privilege of having it switched on.
What it costs
DataFlows pricing is in Australian dollars, includes GST and is pay-as-you-go. You buy SMS credits and top up when you need more. There are no monthly or annual fees and no lock-in.
- Mini: $35 for 1,000 SMS credits, or 3.5 cents per SMS.
- Pro: $150 for 5,000 SMS credits, or 3 cents per SMS, with a free Sender ID (business name).
- Business: $500 for 20,000 SMS credits, or 2.5 cents per SMS, with a free Sender ID.
- Enterprise: custom volume pricing. Talk to the team for terms.
As a worked example, a four-message nurture sequence sent to 250 new leads is 1,000 messages. At the Mini rate of 3.5 cents, that is $35 including GST. At the Pro rate of 3 cents, the same 1,000 messages cost $30.
That assumes every lead receives every message. In practice some will reply, book or opt out part-way through, so your real usage is usually lower.
Best Practices
- Get consent first. Only text people who have agreed to hear from you, and make sure your form says so clearly.
- Identify your business. Start with your name or use a branded Sender ID so the lead knows who is texting.
- Always include an opt-out. Make it easy to stop messages, and honour requests straight away. See our guide to SMS opt-out and unsubscribe rules.
- Keep messages short. One idea per text. Long messages split into multiple parts, and our SMS character limits guide explains how that affects cost.
- Respect timing. Do not send nurture messages late at night or early in the morning. Our guide to the best time to send SMS in Australia is a good starting point.
- Stop the sequence when the lead acts. Add conditions so replies, bookings and won deals end the nurture flow.
- Test before going live. Run a test contact through the whole workflow and check the wording, timing and personalisation.
- Review results. Look at which messages get replies and tighten the ones that do not.
Conclusion
Fast, personal follow-up is one of the simplest ways to win more of the leads you already pay to attract. With GoHighLevel SMS lead follow-up, a form submission turns into a text within moments, a short nurture sequence keeps the conversation going, and every reply lands back in HighLevel.
DataFlows makes it straightforward: install the app from the GoHighLevel Marketplace, connect with OAuth, and pay only for the messages you send. Ready to get started? Sign up at dataflows.com.au and add your first SMS step today.